


How To Accidentally Fall In Love With Your Enemy

by mytearsricochet



Category: DCU (Comics), Teen Titans - All Media Types, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, How Do I Tag, the fic no one asked for but its here, they are in high school
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:00:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24715699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mytearsricochet/pseuds/mytearsricochet
Summary: In six easy steps, Tim falls in love with Cassie.
Relationships: Tim Drake/Cassie Sandsmark
Comments: 12
Kudos: 21





	How To Accidentally Fall In Love With Your Enemy

**Author's Note:**

> wrote this for my best friend paige months ago. i have never actually watched/read any of the Young Justice stuff so it's gonna be OOC probably. But here's Tim/Cassie High School Drama we all deserve

######  **Step One: Pretend You Hate Them**

It was November when Tim got his first detention of the year. He was a senior in high school and he wouldn’t ever forget it. Not just because of this particular detention being his first one in his senior year. The winter had a lot in store for him. That winter, he fell desperately in love with his longest nemesis ever: Cassandra Sandsmark. It all kind of started in this detention and went on long enough to mess with his head.

“Kind of you to join us Mr. Drake. You know the rules. No talking and no bathroom breaks.”

“Tim Drake? Seriously?  _ You _ are in detention?” Cassandra said incredulously when he took the last seat that just simply appeared to be next to her own. Detention seemed to always be full of people.

Tim wasn’t too happy to sit there and he gave her a fake smile. “Hello to you too Cassie.”

Cassandra Sandsmark had been his enemy ever since last year when she switched schools. Now (and this was the completely atrocious part!), just because she was a goddess at soccer, she was up for a valedictorian just like Tim. Obviously, he did not like this. 

“For you it’s Cassandra, remember?” She winked.

“Quiet!” Mr. Abernathy warned, then went back to whatever he was working on.

_ Cassie _ smirked and opened her notebook, writing something down. Tim was surprised she even had a notebook. She handed him a small parchment.

> _ Wanna ditch? Then you won’t be a loser anymore :) _

Tim looked at Mr. Abernathy and made sure the man wasn’t giving them attention, then wrote back.

> _ Absolutely  NO. Especially since you insulted me. _

He saw Cassie read it and roll her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips. She quickly gave the note back to him. 

> _ More like absolutely YES. This is the last offer. It would be fun come on. _

But Tim thought it through and decided the consequences were too fatal and he’s been working his ass off for the valedictorian position to throw it away with detentions. Also, she was missing a coma after ‘fun’. He shook his head and Cassie huffed. 

He was looking at her, awaiting her move and just as she opened her mouth to say something, Mr. Abernathy’s phone rang. 

“I’ll see to it immediately.” He rushed to the door and took one last stern look at everyone. “Do not move. I will be  _ right  _ back! Anyone who leaves will face even bigger consequences!” And with that he was gone.

At first, nobody except Cassie moved even an inch. She stood up and casually took her bag, making her way to the door. Turning around, she looked at Tim. If he didn’t hate her, he would’ve thought that was the most beautiful look back he’s ever gotten.

Some other people began standing up to leave. Cassie showed him a middle finger and once again winked, then she was out of sight. Tim facepalmed himself. She was gonna get caught. But then again why did he care?

* * *

When detention finished, Tim walked out feeling accomplished. He’s done all his homework and even solved a couple of math problems for the fun of it. He was making his way to the bus station, happy he was finally going home but his happiness was short-lived upon seeing his very nemesis on the bench. 

Cassie grinned when she saw him. “So, what has the mighty Timothy Drake done to earn himself a detention?”

He casted her a playful glance. “Did you just call me mighty? What are you doing here?”

“I’m eating ice cream, see?” She lifted up her ice cream for him to get a better look. “Hey, wanna do a prank on Mr. Asshole?”

Tim couldn’t help but laugh a little. “You  _ really _ do enjoy trouble. He was very disappointed you were the first one to leave when  _ someone  _ snitched, but not surprised. I said ‘Aren’t we all?’ and he laughed at my joke.” He proudly smiled, his head high.

“You will go to lengths to win that valedictorian position, won’t you Tim? I’m not even trying here.” Cassie yawned and ate her ice cream, totally unbothered.

“Detentions don’t look very good on your resume, Cassie.”

Cassie scoffed before looking up at him in a serious manner. “ _ Cassandra.  _ The offer still stands. As always.”

“A prank on Mr. Asshole?”

She giggled. “Yeah.”

“When do we start?” Tim couldn’t wait for her reaction. He didn’t know what to expect. He hoped it was surprise because it was about time  _ he  _ was the one surprising  _ her _ . 

Cassie only smirked, then stood up, never losing eye contact. “You? Breaking rules? Remind me again why we hate each other.”

“Well dear Cassie, I hate rules. They prevent me from executing my awesome ideas that  _ need _ to be put to use. And we  _ cannot _ get caught. Those are the conditions.”

He  _ might’ve _ not actually hated her, but he would never tell her that.

  
  


######  **Step Two: Act Pissed Off By Stupid Things They Say**

The next day went by as it usually would. Tim joked around with his friends, accomplished some productive things and tried to stay out of trouble after the little incident. He was just not going to listen to anyone and not let anyone get to him. It should be easy. And it was. 

Then, Cassandra Sandsmark had to show up and wear her bright little smile she usually wore whenever she won at life. “Ha Tim Drake. I’ve been wanting to kick your butt  _ all week _ . Look at this.”

She held up an exam sheet and pointed at her grade. That was an A++. It shouldn’t have been possible. That must’ve been a mistake, Tim was certain. How was she a troublemaker, but still managed to get good grades? She was smart and Tim might have known it since she arrived, but he didn’t think she’d be a competition. He didn’t think she’d care. 

“A real wonder huh? Did it piss you off?” Cassie’s smile never left her lips and he could see she was enjoying this, especially since her eyes were practically glowing.

“Not in the slightest.” Tim shrugged and tried to keep his expression neutral. She was always able to get to him somehow. 

“So it did. You know, I am a real Wonder Girl.”

He shook his head, eyebrows raised. “You really think you did something.”

“That would make you… Probably some sidekick. I’m gonna go with Robin. He’s my least favorite.” With one last wink, she was gone.

Tim pursed his lips because he really had been pissed because of that stupid grade, but for some reason his heart fluttered too. He didn’t know what was more confusing: The fact his heart would beat so fast whenever they talked now or the fact that it wasn’t because of indignation. 

  
  


######  **Step Three: Deny Your Attraction**

It was the early morning and December cold got through Tim’s coat and froze the blood in his veins. He couldn’t wait to get on the bus. There was probably no heat system in it, but anything was better than standing outside. Gotham usually sucked, but in winter it was even worse.  _ Nothing  _ could warm him up.

He entered the bus at last and  _ of course  _ the last fucking seat that was available just had to be next to Cassandra Sandsmark. The universe had it for him. He reluctantly walked over to her. The smirk she gave him was enough to let him know she was relishing this.

“What a shame. My morning was so lovely.” She placed her hand on her heart as if it was breaking.

“I’m not too happy either.” Tim smiled and took the seat.

“It’s a long ride. Wanna listen to music?” Cassie got her earphones out of her bag and looked at him questionably. Tim didn’t know what to say; all he could do was give her an honest taken aback expression. 

“Don’t worry, I’m not fond of you. I’m just too tired.” She handed him one earphone and put the other one in her ear. Tim was able to take it and dared to move a little closer to her, but of course because of the earphones. 

“5SOS?” He pointed out as she scrolled through her playlist.

“Yes, as a matter of fact. I also have One Direction, Jonas Brothers and Big Time Rush. If that’s your preference.” Cassie glanced at him and only then did he realise how close they were. His ears were burning from the blush he was sure appeared on his cheeks as well. What was happening?

“I.. I could never decide.” Tim actually  _ stammered _ this time and was thankful Cassie only pouted and gave her attention to the playlist again.

“5SOS it is.” She said as she clicked on a song and Tim was greeted with tunes. He couldn’t recognise the song but he  _ knew  _ it. It was slow and emotional, but still electrifying.

Cassie smiled at him. “Now come on, show me your playlist.”

Tim nervously chuckled. “Woah. That’s personal.”

“I showed you mine!” 

“ _ Voluntarily. _ I didn’t ask.” He smirked.

“What, you have some K-Pop on there you’re trying to hide? Oh my God, or.. or country?!” Cassie turned to face him completely and beamed, her hands lightly gripping his wrist. For some reason, Tim couldn’t help but think she looked really beautiful. 

“We accept everyone, Cassie. No bullying.”

Cassie tilted her head and a playful light shone in her blue eyes Tim had never paid much attention to before. “BLACKPINK?”

“Shut up already.” He nudged her jokingly and looked at ground attempting to hide his stupid, very obvious blush. She didn’t tell him to call her  _ Cassandra  _ for once.

“Oh I don’t know. You’ve got to deal with me now dearest Timothy. I’ve decided to take this bus every morning.” Cassie smiled and looked out of the window.

“Oh no. She thinks _ I’m _ gonna have to deal with  _ her _ .”

They exchanged a glance and giggled. And then they listened to another song, with Tim still wondering why he  _ liked  _ this, before Cassie spoke again.

“I’m gonna lean on your shoulder now, okay? But just ‘cause I’m tired.” And she did place her head on his shoulder before he could really project anything.

Tim felt a warm tingle up his neck and spreading all throughout his body. He was suddenly very hot and he was more than certain he was blushing. He closed his eyes and tried his best to focus on the music. 

“Hey Tim.” Cassie‘s voice startled him and she sounded a bit restrained as if she was scared to say whatever she wanted to say.

“Hm?” Tim kept his eyes closed because he was afraid that if he opened them, seeing her would cause him to blush even more.

“Why do you hate me?”

At that Tim opened his eyes because it was a startling question. His eyes instinctively searched for her, but that wasn’t a good idea because her hair almost got into his mouth. “I don’t-- Where is this coming from?”

“I always wondered. Come clean, be honest, come on.” Cassie backed away to face him, nodding for encouragement.

Tim‘s laugh felt all choked up. “I don’t hate you.” It hurt him to have to confirm that. He always thought she understood it was just bickering with slight anger once in awhile, but the fact Cassie really thought.. “We just have a little rivalry going on.” 

_ But you’re my friend too _ , but it’s not like he would ever say that. He didn’t possess half the courage.

“Your made up rivalry. I was never for it. Because it was always clear I’m the winner.“ Cassie looked up, putting her hands underneath her chin as if she was holding her cheeks.

“You like our rivalry thing.” Tim declared and didn’t bother to hide a smile.

Cassie pursed her lips and looked at him. At that moment the world kinda paused for Tim. He couldn’t explain it, didn’t know what it was. Cassie‘s eyes were a little too compelling and made Tim forget his whole vocabulary.

“That’s it. No more music.” She took her earphones and stood up as the bus stopped. Tim let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding.

He had a hard time remembering where he was. “Oh hey! I liked that song.”

“Treacherous by Taylor Swift.” Cassie blew him a kiss and got out. 

He could not possibly  _ like _ Cassandra Sandsmark, his arch-nemesis. Tim facepalmed himself.

######  **Step Four: Ignore Your Feelings**

Few days after Christmas, Tim was sure he’d had the worst fight with his dad,  _ and _ his family, yet. He entered his room, panting and holding back tears that eventually fell. He knew he should’ve been grateful for his family: Some people had no one and if his dad didn’t take him in, he would’ve also had no one, but sometimes even family was just too much. He wasn’t sure if anything could calm him down now. His dad came to his room at around 12 am, but Tim had no energy anymore so he pretended he was asleep.

When it was already 3 am and Tim’s eyes were still wide open and he couldn’t stop thinking, he found himself entering his contacts on his phone. And for some reason, Tim found himself calling Cassie. Well, texting her first to see if she was up and willing to talk to him. To his surprise (and relief), she was glad to do it.

“Hello.” Cassie didn’t sound sleepy at all to his surprise.

“Hey.“ Tim bit his lip. He felt nervous all of a sudden.

“Hi. What’s up?”

“I couldn’t sleep.” His voice was quieter than he intended. 

Cassie chuckled. It made Tim glad he was awake and a little less nervous. “Cool. You’re officially part of the edgy sleep deprived emo club.”

Tim couldn’t help but chuckle.

“So. You said you wanted to talk?”

He did want to talk about his…  _ stuff.  _ It was messing with his head and not allowing him to calm down. But when asked about it, he realised how  _ real  _ it was and suddenly felt anxious. So, as his defense mechanism always made him do, Tim started rambling about whatever random topic he could think of. “I was wondering if a shark and a whale had a baby, would it look like a bigger pirana. Like, because of the teeth?”

Cassie took a deep breath. “It’s 3 am, Tim.”

“It’s when I get most of my cool ideas.” Tim stated. It was true, but he wasn’t up for that long in so much time that this felt new. It could’ve also felt new because he was talking to Cassandra Sandsmark at 3 am and past Tim Drake would never. But he decided to push that thought aside and bury it. 

“Fine, I guess. Here’s a cool question: Do you think supervillains make a speech about their evil plan because they have no friends? And yes I totally googled ‘3 am thoughts’ just for you. Loser.”

Tim snickered. “You’re using your wifi on  _ me  _ and I am the loser? To answer the question: That’s such a dumb ideology, but yes. Why would anyone ever reveal their evil plan to the other side unless they have no friends?”

“My favorite supervillain has to be Voldemort, but before he turned all ugly. ‘Cause he was actually clever.”

“So, Tom Riddle.”

“Well, yes, but I wasn’t sure you’d read it so just in case.”

“Are you kidding? Of course I read it. I think Harry was too emotionally stable for a kid who’s gone through so much.”

“Speaking of emotional stability… What keeps you up at night?”

There was a pause. He didn’t know if she meant that seriously or if it was another joke. But Tim felt the air rushing out of him, when he said: “I had a fight with my dad…”

A moment passed and then Cassie spoke, her voice sounding compassionate or at least that’s what Tim thought. “Well, that sucks. I’m sorry. Do you want to talk about it?”

Now he was a lot calmer than before and he even forgot about it until she brought it up. Besides he liked talking about other random things with her. So he said, “No.”

“You wanna talk about if dogs think in barks?”

Tim covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing. “Oh my God, I never thought about that.”

Cassie, on the other hand, laughed. Tim really wished he could see her right now.

“Hey. You never told me why you were in detention.”

“I might’ve… punched someone..” Before she could muster her answer, he was quick to add, “I’m not proud of it!”

“No judging here Tim. I just hope the person deserved it.”

They were silent for a moment and Tim looked at the clock. 3:58 am. “It’s really late.”

Cassie didn’t say anything because she yawned, which proved his point and then, in a somewhat sleepy voice, she asked: “Hey Robin?”

This whole Robin/Wonder Girl thing became an inside joke. He actually put Wonder Girl as her contact name. Tim liked it a lot, it was pretty awesome. And  _ theirs _ . 

“Yes?”

“Could you stay a little bit longer?” She whispered. 

“Yeah, sure.” Tim mumbled, his voice as calm as moonlight.

“I kinda wish you were here.” She said and suddenly the present loneliness in Tim’s room became so aware, he wished more than anything that he was hugging her or maybe that she was holding him.

They stayed on the line for a few minutes after it and when they wished each other a ‘Goodnight’ and hung up, all Tim was able to do was think about Cassie. Accidentally of course. 

When morning came, he ordered his feelings to leave and hoped they never showed up again. 

  
  


######  **Step Five: Make Sure You Know What An Enemy Is**

With school starting again, so did the worries. College was right around the corner and the whole stress could definitely be sensed in the air. Tim had been having a bad day again, but he was supposed to meet Cassie later for their English presentation so he had something to look forward to. They were totally friends now. Also, not a big deal, but Tim had a massive crush on her. It was  _ crushing  _ him alright. Just when his day couldn’t get worse, it  _ had _ gotten worse. 

Cassie had her arms around Conner Kent‘s neck and her head was leaned on his shoulder. 

Something inside Tim broke. Suddenly he was cold and not because it was still winter. Then he was hot, his ears and his cheeks covered in scarlet and if he didn’t turn around, he was sure he’d start crying. Conner was one of his best friends. But then again, Tim didn’t tell him about his feelings for Cassie so it was Tim’s fault. Tim wiped a tear that fell, hoping Bart didn’t notice.

He opened his locker and glanced at them, but they stood even closer now and he regretted it. “What should I do now? I played around and now I’m too late. Conner never even mentioned her or vice versa.”

“You’re not too late. Just… talk to her.” Bart said like it was the most casual thing in the world.

Tim sighed, hung his head as if he lost some war and started walking to Math with Bart. “She’ll never like me back. What’s the point?”

“Dude. You don’t know that. Stop being jealous and actually do something about your crush. She’s not dating Conner. We would know. And staring at her all the time is creepy.”

Tim looked at him and defensively explained that he  _ was not  _ jealous. “I’m not jealous!”

“Do you get a burning feeling inside of you and a furious heat in your blood when you see Cassie with Conner?” Bart raised his eyebrows in question. 

Tim crossed his arms and avoided eye contact. That was spot on. To hell with Bart. 

“That’s called jealousy. I heard it’s bad for your skin.”

In Math, all Tim wanted was to solve problems. He was great at solving problems. He was not great at solving his own. Talking to Cassie scared him. Not talking to her frustrated him. Doing nothing seemed like his best option right now. He valued his friendship with Cassie way too much to ruin it with his jealousy and his feelings. He could lose her, his best enemy, and losing Cassandra Sandsmark.. Well, he would be an idiot to mess up with someone like that. He would never forgive himself. (Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right?)

Later when he was supposed to meet Cassie, Tim felt nervousness creep up to him and he couldn’t shut down his brain. He was so nervous to say the wrong thing. They’ve been working on their project for thirty minutes and he’s voiced out three words. Cassie seemed to have noticed his absence and she looked up from her paper.

“You’re quiet.”

Tim didn’t face her, instead he buried his head in his poster. “Uh yeah. Just wanna get this done.”

Cassie clicked her tongue in disagreement. “Okay what’s the problem?”

“Nothing.” Tim reflexively gripped the bottom of his shirt and pulled it a little. “Nothing.”

“You fix your shirt when you lie.”

He sighed. SInce when did she read him so well? He had to think this through.  _ Don’t say the wrong thing. Don’t say something stupid. Don’t say the wrong thing. Don’t.  _

“No, I don’t. Nothing’s wrong. I just want to get this done so I can focus on my valedictorian speech later.” Avoiding eye contact was apparently his new best talent.

Cassie inspected him for a minute, then shook her head, stood up and coldly walked away. What was wrong with him? This time, he facepalmed himself because of his own stupidity. But also… They were supposed to be enemies. This shouldn’t have hurt him as much as it did.

  
  


######  **Step Six: Argue About Something Stupid**

  
  


As it turned out, Cassie wasn’t dating Conner. Tim didn’t know if he should be glad or disappointed. Mainly because he was acting like a real jerk and they never brought it up in their conversations, which lead to there definitely still being tension whenever they were together. But Bart had informed him that  _ no _ , Conner and Cassie weren’t a thing and that  _ yes _ , he should definitely do something about his crush now. Tim’s brain worked stupidly when it came to human emotions so doing something about it meant ignoring it until further notice. Or you know… Until it went away.

On a cold February afternoon while snow still rested on grass and wasn’t yet melting away, Cassie and Tim were walking home together because the bus didn’t drive for days now due to the strong snowstorms. They could’ve called a cab, but Cassie asked him to walk with her, at least for a little while, and he said yes for some reason, after swearing he’d ignore any alone time with her. But when he looked at her and her eyes and she was smiling and… Well. He screwed up.

The afternoon had been so calm, not a single snowflake in sight and the two of them had laughed a lot because of a squirrel they’ve seen. She pooped on the sidewalk and somehow that had been so hilarious to them, they couldn’t stop roaring with laughter. 

When there were already tears in her eyes and they needed to stop before they started crying, Cassie was able to let out: “Wanna get hot chocolate?”

Tim hesitated. He felt warm tingling again and his heart skipped a beat. How was he going to find a reason now? And then he remembered. “Maybe some other time. I need to.. The submission is tomorrow.”

The snow started falling. Tim couldn’t see it in Cassie’s hair because her hair was blonde, but her coat had already gotten small dots.

She stopped dead in her tracks. “There it is. Your stupid obsession with school. Can you be a person and  _ relax _ for a minute?”

He gulped. It hurt to do this. “I didn’t say anything particular...”

“You didn’t have to!” Cassie raised her voice and Tim‘s expression went stern. They only ever yelled at each other… well, never. They cracked up and made stupid jokes and bickered, but apparently she wanted to get serious now.

“Honestly, what’s your problem? I care about this! Why-”

Cassie cut him off, taking a step closer. “ _ MY _ problem? All this time the only thing you care about is the stupid valedictorian issue and when we— You know what? Forget it.“

Her exhale was visible in the cold. She turned her head to look in the other direction and Tim noticed how red her cheeks were from the cold, standing this close to her. 

“What? What were you going to say?”

Cassie looked up at him. There were some snowflakes in between her eyelashes. “You’re an A student, but you can be so oblivious.”

If Tim was anything, it was  _ not  _ oblivious! All this time and she still hadn’t noticed his very obvious crush on her.  _ She _ was the oblivious one! “I can say the same thing about you!”

Cassie scoffed and made that face she had when she was angry, with her lips closed and pouting before she’d say something and her eyes narrowed a little. “Maybe! But you’re also so fucking annoying!”

Tim was honestly furious. “Really?! Great! I love pissing you off and now you finally know! Congratulations! What are you gonna do about it?”

Really?  _ That’s _ what he said? He was looking at her, his face flushed and he felt warm even though it was freezing cold, then his gaze fell down to her lips. And that’s when Cassie kissed him, her icy hands cupped his cheeks and he had no other desire but to kiss her back. It felt as if everything had been leading to this, like nothing else mattered except Cassie, like nothing would ever mean as much. And Tim knew she felt it too. Maybe she would describe it differently, use other words and other metaphors, but what they felt had been the same. She broke the kiss and looked at him, smiled and then called him a ‘Loser’ before giving him a hug and he just knew.


End file.
